The County Council’s use of Beam Notes, an AI-powered note taking tool, has transformed the way front line staff manage daily tasks, case note recording and documentation – earning the authority the Public Sector Partnership Award at this year’s Sovereign AI Awards.
Since the technology was introduced at the County Council at the end of 2025, productivity in note recording has risen by around 20 per cent and estimates indicate that more than 3,000 staff days have been saved – releasing more critical time for high-quality engagement with residents.
More than 1,800 staff across the County Council are now benefiting from Beam Notes, which records practitioners’ conversations with residents’ consent, before drafting case notes and assessments in the council’s own templates, which staff then check before filing.
Councillor Roz Chadd, the County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services, said: “Our partnership with Beam Notes is about far more than simply working more efficiently; it’s about building stronger human connections with those we support and ultimately improving the quality of their care. This award reflects not only the strength of this partnership but also the willingness of staff across both Children’s Services and Adult Social Care to embrace these new ways of working and continuously look for opportunities to improve outcomes for our residents. It is a prime example of how innovation and collaboration can help us work smarter while delivering better services. A huge congratulations and thank you to all those involved.”
Councillor Zoe Huggins, Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, added: “As demand for social care services continues to grow, making the best use of practitioners’ time is more important than ever. Our partnership with Beam Notes is helping us do exactly that, reducing time spent on paperwork and enabling staff to focus on meaningful conversations and building relationships with the children, families and adults we support. This award is a fantastic achievement and reflects the hard work and collaboration of staff across Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, our IT teams and our partners at Beam.”
The Sovereign AI Awards are held annually by the UK AI Association to celebrate the people, organisations and innovations helping to drive Britain's ability to design, build and adopt artificial intelligence. The Public Sector Partnership Award specifically recognises successful collaboration between public and private sector organisations to deliver meaningful outcomes through AI.